Shiva Nandy, "Initial Tournaments In Thailand Will Be More Focused On SEA"

Skyesports is a reputed esports and gaming venture in the South Asian region responsible for hosting tournaments across various games, including Valorant, PUBG Mobile, Pokemon Unite, and more. It was founded in 2018 by Shiva Nandy, and ever since then, it has become one of the fastest-growing esports companies in South Asia.

Skyesports recently announced their next big move as they will expand to the SEA region with their office in Thailand by setting up their office. I thus got a chance to talk to Shiva Nandy regarding their current approach and the difficulties they faced along with their future plans, and you can read the full interview below.

Skyesports is one of the most reputed organizations not just in India but in South Asia as a whole. How did it start, and would you like to tell us about that special cup of tea that changed the company's future? 

Skyesports was founded just four years ago with a vision to grow esports from the grassroots level. We focused on building original and unique IPs like the Skyesports League, Skyesports Championship, Skyesports Souvenir, Skyesports Grand Slam, and Skyesports Mobile Open. 

Our IPs usually feature multiple esports titles, so there is something for everyone. We have successfully used this model to quickly become one of the leading esports organizations in South Asia. 

I think the special cup of tea for us was how we managed to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our competitors struggled to adapt to the new status quo of that time. 

With travel restrictions and many other roadblocks in place, we were still able to provide esports action to gamers during the lockdown period. We also leveraged other esports titles when PUBG Mobile was banned to fuel our rapid growth. 

There are a lot of brands that hesitate to invest in esports in India as the scene is still growing. What challenges did you face initially, and are these difficulties still there? 

The challenges we faced at the beginning and the ones we face now are slightly different. Initially, as the new kids on the block, we struggled to onboard brands or sponsors who were willing to work with us. 

A lot has changed since then, as we now have multiple brands who support us in our vision, like AMD, Rooter, Loco, Red Bull Logitech G, WD_Black, and more. The main struggle right now, I would say, is that these brands are mostly endemic.

Working with non-endemic brands is a big focus for us in the future. We saw some opportunities to do that with BGMI tournaments, but unfortunately, the game is currently unavailable in the country. 

How has the BGMI ban affected tournament organizers, especially when there is no clear answer from Krafton, or do you have any secret to share with us? How much loss did Skyesports have to bear, as a BGMI tournament was supposed to begin right after the ban?

Of course, the current unavailability of BGMI has affected everyone in the Indian esports industry, and we are no exception. Yes, we had planned the Skyesports League for BGMI as a LAN event at a stadium in Delhi but were unable to execute it. 

Luckily, we didn't have to bear too much of a loss as we hadn't begun the construction of the on-ground venue. 

In terms of the long-term effect of the ban, Krafton is still actively working on bringing the game back, and we are keeping an eye on that. As I said earlier, Skyesports has always focused on diversification, and we already have a tournament lined up with a different game and are also in touch with publishers for other game titles.

We are looking at regional expansion as well super soon. Additionally, we are in the midst of planning a content IP which will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Most of the Valorant tournaments in India feature invited teams; when can we expect to see tournaments open for all the players apart from the SouthAsia VCT circuit events? 

I think we at Skyesports have carefully balanced invited and open-for-all tournaments for Valorant. We have been organizing tournaments for it ever since it was released and have leveraged grassroots-level competitions and invited events with pro teams and creators to grow the game in the country. 

We will continue to host invited and open events for Valorant as well as for other games in the future. 

Following up with a similar topic, will Skyesports be handling South AsiaVCT Challengers from next year, given that Riot has announced the new format? 

Of course, we have a great relationship with Riot Games and were honored to hold the Skyesports Champions Series, a part of the VCT, this year. Next year, with the league system coming in, the plans appear to be different, but we are fans of Valorant esports and are always into organizing tournaments for it. 

Other than the official circuit, you can be assured that Skyesports will bring many original IP's in the region and beyond for Valorant. 

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You previously confirmed that Skyesports will expand to SEA with a new office in Thailand and will organize a PUBG Mobile tournament. Is PUBG Mobile and BGMI ban in India a reason that initiated this expansion, or did you have plans regarding this all along? 

No, we have been witnessing constant growth ever since Skyesports was founded in 2018. Initially, we started off as a company focused on South India then we expanded to India and then to cover the entirety of South Asia. 

Now, of course, the next step for us is to look at other markets we can enter, and Southeast Asia is one of the most lucrative ones in the global esports scenario right now. 

The expansion to Southeast Asia isn't a shift in our strategy but a logical step in our growth plans. We won't be stopping what we do in India and South Asia. With a new office in Bangkok, we plan to bring in more staff and increase our capabilities to organize more simultaneous tournaments. In fact, we are also shifting to a much bigger office in Chennai itself soon. 

Following up on the previous question, would Indian teams fly to Thailand to participate in the tournament?

Of course, one thing that really makes this expansion exciting is the opportunity for us to organize cross-regional tournaments. This is not only a treat for the fans but also gives crucial international exposure to Indian teams. 

Our initial tournaments, however, which will span multiple games will be more focused on SEA only as we settle into the new market. We will be creating new IPs with a localized flavor to grow in SEA. Later on, of course, I wouldn't rule out flying Indian teams out to Thailand or vice versa for tournaments. 

What are your goals regarding this expansion?

As I mentioned, after a successful expansion to South Asia last year, SEA is the next logical step for us. In terms of our goals, we have several.  

Skyesports is focused on grassroots play and localization. Our new IPs will be similar and focused on bringing a localized flavor to audiences in SEA. 

We will also get the chance to work with more publishers directly for esports titles that are popular in the region, or upcoming esports titles. The new office in Bangkok and direct reach to the SEA community and teams will enable us to organize more international tournaments – both LAN and online. 

SEA is also a more developed market for esports when compared to India. Thus, we will not only be able to provide an exciting opportunity to our present endemic sponsors, but the expansion will also give us the opportunity to work with non-endemic brands in the region.

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Featured image courtesy of Skyesports.